The Bruins are very clearly in the running for the big free-agent fish after winging out to Los Angeles to meet with John Tavares and his representatives, but they’re doing their due diligence on a number of other free-agent fronts ahead of July 1 as well.
Per hockey sources, the Bruins have expressed interest in speedy right wing Michael Grabner after showing interest in him at different points the past couple of seasons.
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The discussion was described as more of a “check-in” than a wide-ranging conversation in the pre-July meeting period, but that makes perfect sense given how many moving parts the Bruins are dealing with while chasing Tavares. Grabner, 30, scored 27 goals and had 36 points last season while playing for the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils and was a player the Bruins were interested in at last season’s trade deadline before instead landing Rick Nash.
While some have speculated that the Bruins interest in Grabner is somehow tied Tavares being his teammate with the New York Islanders for five seasons (2010-15), it’s more likely that the Bruins would be still be looking at Grabner if they don’t ultimately land the All-Star center. One could also put James van Riemsdyk, Jeff Skinner and Wayne Simmonds in that category. Perhaps even something as far-fetched as a Boston reunion with Milan Lucic might not be out of the question.
Grabner would be a speedy, veteran option who could really add a home run hitter-type speed element to the David Krejci line or be a strong veteran option for Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron if the Bruins opt to take David Pastrnak off the top line.
Several teams have expressed interest in Grabner while almost exclusively looking to up the speed level of their attack, but the winger is also among the NHL’s top 10 in even-strength goals the past couple of seasons. The 27 goals last season were the second-most of Grabner’s NHL career dating to his first full NHL season where he posted 34 goals and 52 points for the Islanders.
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But as the NHL has transitioned more to a league where speedy, skilled players are doing the most damage. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Grabner and his ilk have become extremely useful players around the league.